Striker Luke Varney tackles a range of topics ahead of Ipswich Town’s clash with Blackburn Rovers tonight

It’s been a few months now since you returned from injury. How are you feeling?

“It feels like it’s coming up to the Christmas stage of the season for me. I feel hungry and ready to go. Whatever minutes I get, hopefully I can have a positive impact.

“They did say it would probably be a year before I got full power back, so that’s only a couple of months away.

“I’ve started to jump and push off my left foot a lot more and not thinking about it at all. It feels great.

How’s Teddy Bishop doing, given he’s been out for so long?

“Listen, we need him back. He’s a great player, we’ve missed him his creativity sorely. We’re all desperate to have him back. We talk to him constantly.

“He’s had his oxygen chambers, is doing his gymnastics work now like I did. Fair play to him, he’s done a lot of rehab and people have to realise that he’ll be ready when he’s ready.

Are you frustrated by a lack of gametime?

“At Blackburn I was behind Rhodesy and Gestede, here it’s been Murphy and Searsy and Pitman – I’ve got no problem with that.

“I’d like to be out on the pitch a lot more, but whenever I get out on the pitch I’ll give 100%. I;m sure the gaffer knows that.

“Whatever formation and whatever team he puts out, there will be no malice, I won’t feel I should be playing. I’d love to obviously get the nod, but if I get on off the bench I’ll be happy.

“A goal would be nice. It’s long overdue, you could say. I’ve had the one start and I was happy to be involved with that Pitts goal.

Would you celebrate if you scored against your former club?

“I think I might jump in the Blackburn fans!

“I don’t think I would be able to hide it after all this time, I might have to.

How was your time at Blackburn?

“I didn’t play a lot of football, I was backing players up who were scoring 20 goals each a season, but it’s a great club and great people. I’m looking forward to seeing a few old friends.

“I understood my role when I went there so it will be good to see a few old friends and hopefully we’ll get the victory. We need it more than them.

“People talk about Gestede and Rhodesy but Tom Cairney was a massive player for them, everything went through Tom, and I knew that was going to affect the team.

“It’s a massive rebuilding job but hopefully, with the money they got from Jordan, that will help out.

“I hope they get back because the year I was there they just missed out on the last day of the season, they should get up with that squad and that infrastructure.

“Hoefully they’ll get there one day.”

Is six points a must from the next two games?

“I must admit the talk in there (the dressing room) is that we’re demanding six, we think we need two wins after the two disappointing results we’ve had.

“That’s hopefully our return but, if it is four and we have two good performances, then we’ll be happy.

How important is atmosphere?

“It will be nice to have some atmosphere, the last two games have been dead, a bit like a morgue.

“Bolton were in a difficult position and Cardiff felt flat most of the game, but as an away team we were quite happy with that first half.

“We conceded the goal and it was a difficult game, but it will be nice to get back to Portman Road under the lights and have a great atmosphere with a good result.

“It’s good to quieten the crowd at most away games and we didn’t have to do a lot to do that, but it was a disappointing return for two away games. When you look at it we could have had six points.”

“The Bolton game, they are in a bad situation there and the Cardiff game was a weird one.

“I found it weird, there wasn’t a lot of fans and people were saying that was because of the rugby being a little more important than the football. I find that a bit surprising.

“The home games aren’t a problem, but I found the last two games quite difficult.

“I thrive on a crowd, when an away crowd gives you some stick it gees you up a little bit.”